Description
The first general theory of the influence of norms--moral, legal and social--on genocide and mass atrocity.
How can we explain--and prevent--such large-scale atrocities as the Holocaust? In Unconscionable Crimes, Paul Morrow presents the first general theory of the influence of norms--moral, legal and social--on genocide and mass atrocity. After offering a clear overview of norms and norm transformation, rooted in recent work in moral and political philosophy, Morrow examines numerous twentieth-century cases of mass atrocity, drawing on documentary and testimonial sources to illustrate the influence of norms before, during, and after such crimes.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vi
Introduction 1
1. Norms in the World: Agents, Action Guidance, and Historical Inquiry 17
2. Necessary--and Even Proper: Moral Norms and the Explanation of Mass Atrocities 39
3. Better Never to Deliberate? Moral Norms and the Prevention of Mass Atrocities 59
4. The Etiology of Inhumanity: Legal Norms and the Explanation of Mass Atrocities 81
5. The Limits of Legalization: Legal Norms and the Prevention of Mass Atrocities 103
6. The Grammar of Violence: Social Norms and the Explanation of Mass Atrocities 125
7. Arresting Incitement: Social Norms and the Prevention of Mass Atrocities 145
Conclusion 171
Notes 177
Bibliography 237
Index 263
